Dr Hayley Cocker
Senior LecturerResearch Overview
Hayley's research focuses on the social and cultural aspects of consumption. She is particularly interested in influencers and celebrity culture as well as risky or deviant consumption contexts. Her research has looked at young people's alcohol consumption, the production and consumption of celebrities and celebrity brands, the popularity and appeal of YouTube celebrities, consumer responses to influencers' advertising content, consumers' parasocial relationships with social media influencers, and the fan communities that surround social media stars.
Her research has appeared in international peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Consumer Research, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Marketing Theory and Journal of Marketing Management.
Hayley's research and expertise on influencers has featured in media outlets such as The Guardian ('The social media style icons every advertiser wants a piece of' and 'Why angry 'anti-fans turn on the influencers they once loved'), Business Insider ('How these 4 Love Island UK stars used their moment in the limelight to really suceeed as influencers'), and Express ('Influencers keep taking photos on my doorstep').
Current Teaching
Winner of Lancaster University's 'Pilkington Teaching Award 2023' and winner of the 'Early Career Teacher of the Year Award 2017' at the Lancaster University Management School's Dean Awards.
Current teaching includes:
Undergraduate Teaching
MKTG232 Advertising (Module Leader)
MKTG331 Research & Consultancy
Postgraduate Teaching
MKTG505 Marketing Communications (Module Leader)
Professional Role
I was the Programme Director for the MSc Marketing for 3 years from September 2018 to August 2021.
PhD Supervisions Completed
Charlotte John (2025) "Esports and the spatial legitimation of a market"
Anuja Pradhan (2020) "‘Strategies from below’: Middle-class British Indian consumers’ navigations of ethnic identification and intergenerational cultural transmission."
Virginia Mwangi (2018) "Social representations of marketplace immorality: The case of the Kenyan illicit alcohol market."
PhD Supervision Interests
I am interested in supervising PhD students in the broad area of Consumer Culture Theory (CCT), and in particular topics related to Celebrity Culture and Influencer Marketing.
Internal PhD Examiner for Apisara Khli-In
Examination
Collective Neutralization: How Consumption Communities Survive Vilification
Invited talk
CCI Roundtable Session on Jingle Bells & Shopping Spells: Unpacking the Christmas Consumption Frenzy
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
How Social Media Influencers Impact Consumer Collectives: An Embeddedness Perspective
Invited talk
External PhD Examiner for Zhaozhang Sun
Examination
How Perfectly Imperfect broadcasts cultural cool
Expert Opinion
Under the Influence: Are Social Media 'Gurus' Preying on our Insecurities?
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Internal PhD Examiner for Jiahui Zhao
Examination
CCI Roundtable Session on The Cost of Living Crisis
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
CCI Roundtable Session on Social Media’s Otherworldly Subcultures
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
CCI Roundtable Session on the Cost of Living Crisis
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Centre for Consumption Insights
Centre for Consumption Insights
- Centre for Consumption Insights
- Networks, Knowledge and Strategy